Ibn Majid
~1421–~1500 · Arab (Julfar, modern-day UAE) · Late Medieval / Age of Discovery
Known for: Greatest Arab navigator of the 15th century—his navigational manuals guided Indian Ocean sailing for centuries and he possibly guided da Gama to India
Ibn Majid came from a family of navigators and wrote over 40 works on navigation, including the Kitāb al-Fawā'id, a comprehensive navigational encyclopedia. He developed sophisticated techniques for using stars, wind patterns, and monsoon cycles.
Traditional accounts claim he guided da Gama from East Africa to India in 1498—though this is debated. He was proud of Arab navigational superiority and critical of sharing knowledge with Europeans. His navigational poetry encoded sailing instructions in verse for easy memorization.
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